A study of the "enfant terrible" of French cinema. The ingredients and influences of Carax's films (including "Les Amants du Pont Neuf" and "Pola X") are examined: Paris, pop music, flanerie, amour fou, mannerist and neo-baroque aesthetics, "Nouvelle Vague" and contemporary naturalist cinema.

The first book in any language to study the films of this enfant terrible of contemporary French cinema, best known for his film Les Amants du Pont Neuf. Examines key ingredients in the worlds of Carax's films – Paris, pop music, 'flânerie' and 'amour fou', 'mannerist' and 'neo-baroque' aesthetics, the Nouvelle Vague and contemporary 'naturalist' cinema – making the book a good primer of contemporary French film and culture. Draws on a variety of intellectual sources, such as the philosophy of Deleuze, film criticism, theory of art, and literary monographs. Argues that the recent history of maverick mannerist and baroque auteurs, from Ruiz & Rivette to Garrel and Techine, and their explorations of the 'powers of the false' are key to Carax's cinema. Examines Carax's contribution to the strand of cinema which is focused on chance and destiny, from Wong Kar-Wai and David Lynch to films such as Serendipity and Sliding doors.